Police warn Harrogate homes being targeted in burglary spate

Dan Windham

Homes in Harrogate are being targeted by burglars, with police revealing that there has been a recent spate of break-ins in the district.

Since April, 91 homes have been burgled across the district with police warning that these have occurred during the day and at night.

Most recently, a 30-year-old man was arrested for breaking into a home on Rudbeck Drive after he was spotted in the residents’ garden.

Inspector Penny Taylor from North Yorkshire Police has urged residents to improve their home security and insisted police were working ‘flat out’ on the issue.

She said: “We are currently providing high visibility patrols in previously targeted locations and questioning known offenders.

“Being a victim of burglary is very upsetting. We are here to support the victims of crime and we are doing all we can to catch the criminals responsible.

“We want householders to review their home security and make it harder for burglars to enter a home.

“We are doing everything to prevent and detect these burglaries and we are working flat out.”

Many of the burglaries have occurred after nearby bricks and rocks were thrown through windows to gain entry with properties in Bilton and Pannal Ash subjected to repeat attacks.

The Harrogate District Community Safety Group are hoping to spread the message that something so simple as locking your door, closing and securing a window, even when you are at hom, could help prevent a burglary.

The group, which includes representatives from Harrogate Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the police, fire and rescue service, ambulance service, neighbourhood watch, probation service and the voluntary sector, are working together to tackle this crime